I'll be OK
by aimzy ice
Summary: So this is great. My Dad's moving to Dubai, my brother is intent on controlling me and I'm pretty sure my Mum is suffering from some sort of anger issue. Not to mention I'm about to fail my Maths exam. But with that redhead around, I guess I'll be OK.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I do own the plot.**

Maths officially sucks. You'd think with the number of people who hate it the schools would take a hint and stop teaching it. Maths teachers themselves can range from insanity crazy to insanity boring. My mentor, who happens to be a Maths teacher, is pretty far up on the crazy side.

"So you think it's fine to keep going on like this and you'll pass your exam? As if."

Right now, though, he's come down a notch to the sanity bar, pulled out by my recent U grade in maths. He gets serious when it comes to his subject but otherwise he's the same eye-pathed, plastic-gun-pointing teacher.

Hayner snorts beside me.

"How in holy hell did you get a U? Did you not even write your name on the front? 'Cos you already get an E for just writing your name."

"That is myth Hayner and you know it. Roxas, here, got a U for getting under 40%, which might I add was on the easiest Maths exam to date, because he won't ask for help in class," Xigbar replies, without any consent to how his words might affect me, per usual.

"What? Roxas, why don't you ask for help in class? Don't you like Mr Demyx?" Olette asks. I like her and everything but sometimes I really wish she wouldn't poke her head into places it shouldn't be.

"I like him well enough, I just don't…."

"Don't have the guts to put your hand up." Xigbar finishes and stalks over to his desk. I don't know how that man knows me so well; I hardly tell him anything about myself.

"Aww, is Roxie afraid to ask the big bad teacher a question?" Hayner teases and I lob my pencil case at him. Unfortunately he catches it and I'm out of ammo…unless I use my school bag. Pence, who is the more sensitive one out of the bunch of weirdoes in my Mentor group, looks at me with sympathy.

"Ignore Hayner, you're smart enough to get through Maths without anyone's help, that's all." For being such a clever guy, Pence is very wrong about that.

"As if," Xigbar returns and hands me a bit of paper. "That's your new schedule to get ya in tip-top condition for your Maths exam."

The innocent looking paper is actually a demon hell-bent on ruining my life. I have to attend Maths revision sessions every lunchtime and on Saturday mornings. Mornings! I am a teenager, whom are known to be constantly sleep-deprived and are only alive thanks to weekend morning lay-ins.

I look unbelievingly at Xigbar, who is grinning at me in the most sadistic manner possible. He's enjoying my pain, the bastard.

"By the way that starts today. Failure to show up will result in a phone call to your parents. Have fun!" and he flounces away, looking happier than when he clobbers a student with his plastic gun and gets away with it.

"Let me see that." Hayner reaches across to snatch the paper away and chucks my pencil case back at me. He bursts into a fit of raucous laughter at my demise. "Hahaha! You have to go to classes with all the weirdest Maths teachers in the school!"

Pence grabs the paper and frowns.

"Hey, I know someone who has to attend this as well."

"Who?" I ask eagerly, needing a name to laugh at to try and comfort myself.

"Well I don't actually know him; he's my cousin's friend and we've only-"

"Pence, who is it?" Olette quickly steers him back on topic.

"Axel Russo. He's a Year 12."

"What the hell? What's a year 12 doing in a year 11 maths revision class?"

"I'd be happy to tell you!" Xigbar prances back over, clearly having been eavesdropping and come back as soon as he heard another opportunity to pick on me and generally make my life worse. "You see, these classes are actually for the Year 12's who are retaking their Maths exam this year. I had to sneak you in because you're the only person failing this badly in your year and the school wouldn't set up separate sessions."

Hayner is taken over by another round of guffaws.

"You're going to have to sit with a bunch of Year 12's!"

"But….but…" I stutter intelligently.

"That's right, kiddo! And we all know how the chain works around here!" Xigbar laughs and wanders away again.

The chain. Although most teachers ignore it, everyone knows that the higher your Year group, the closer to the top of the food chain you are. Year 7's are right at the bottom for their over-sized school bags which pummel anyone who gets too close in the corridor. Year 13's are at the top because they're bigger and older than everyone else.

Everyone immediately dislikes the people in any Year below them and stays the hell outta the way of anyone in Years above them. I would be sitting in a room full of Year 12's who disliked me.

I groan and put my head on the desk, unable to take anymore. Xigbar quickly seizes the opportunity and thwacks me on the head with his plastic gun, telling me not to fall asleep during mentor session.

(Line break)

"Please please please please please-"

"For the last time: NO!" Pence yells at me, dragging me along the corridors. I had hidden in the library, thinking no one would ever guess and I wouldn't have to go to the horror otherwise known as Maths revison.

Olette had found me and called Pence, telling him to take me to Maths revision before I got into trouble. Like a policeman on duty, Pence had run over to the school library and is forcefully taking me to Maths.

"I don't want to~" I whine, ignoring the snickers coming from the annoying year 8's. I sincerely hope they all fail Maths and have to endure the same punishment.

"Roxas, it's going to help you." We arrive at the room and he finally lets go of my wrist. I peer into the chicken wire mesh window and see a bunch of unhappy looking Year 12's moping around, but no teacher yet. Pence looks in too and blanches when he spots the same thing I do: the school's resident bully, Seifer.

For a second I hope that Pence, Pence who has suffered bruises from the what-can-loosely-be-called 'person' I am about to enter a class with, will let me off. But the traitor gives me a pat on the shoulder and pushes the door open, giving me a look saying: I _will_ shove you in.

I make a note to not let him mooch food off of me anymore and step into hell. It's a small step for a teenager, but a giant leap into the pit of doom.

All heads turn to see the newcomer and look away, bored, when they see it's not the teacher. I scan the room in super-fast mode, knowing if I stand here for too long I will look lost and dense.

Scan complete. Available seats: 1

Shit.

The only available seat is right next to a guy with flaming red hair. What's worse, his bag has taken possession of the only free seat. I walk up to him, finding myself turning into a ninja in these situations. I can't help it; I get very quiet when I'm nervous.

He doesn't notice me when I'm right by the bag-occupied seat and I consider just moving the damn thing on my own. It would serve him right, putting bags where people are supposed to sit.

Yeah, Maths puts me in a bitch of a bad mood. Rising above it, I calmly ask if he can move his bag so I can sit down. When he glances directly at me and then ignores me entirely I once again rise above it and push his bag onto the floor with a firm kick. He gapes at me as if I've just set it on fire and chucked it out the window.

Avoiding eye contact, I sit down, drop my own tatty bag on the floor and glare at the whiteboard as if it is the source of the world's problems. I realise that was a stupid move I pulled. This Year 12 could be a really dangerous guy. Maybe that's what's with his hair; it is a warning signal to Year 11's not to knock his possessions on the floor as he will kill them.

Shit, shit…

I risk a glance at him to see him smirking at the whiteboard. Most likely planning the order in which he will break my bones. I haven't been in the class five minutes and I've already created trouble for myself.

The teacher strolls in and everything gets worse. Mr Luxord, known for his gambling and trying to teach classes to achieve the stupidly difficult art of card counting, is going to be teaching me, the kid that can't add single digit numbers without at least a five second wait. Damn Pence to hell for making me come to this.

For a moment, all the students in the room are united in hating the man that will try to teach us Maths. We are kin, a force, together. Mr Luxord eyes everyone in the room, looking at me for a bit longer.

My black Year 11 uniform makes me stick out like Olette in a mosh pit amongst the Year 12's who get to wear their own clothes to school. A look of understanding passes over him and he sits on the desk at the front.

"So you're all here because you failed Maths last year or are in danger of failing again this year. As long as you pay attention, do the homework and revise, you'll pass the exam in five months' time."

There's a collection of groans at the word 'homework'. Luxord passes a haughty smirk, knowing students hate doing the homework more than teachers hate marking it. Especially since in Maths it's not opinion based; you either got it right or got it wrong. Stupid Maths where I can't make up bullshit in my answers.

"Today we'll start with some simple Pythag." {1}

Pythagoras' theorem is not simple! I know the whole a2 + b2 = c2 but since when has that made anything easier?

We all have to share textbooks with whoever is sitting next to us. Great, the redhead I've already upset is now my textbook sharing buddy. The maths textbook that should never have been unleashed on the world is tossed onto our desk with a thump.

Neither of us make a move to "open the book to page 394" as Luxord instructs, hoping the other will do it.

"Guys, the book won't open itself. Get going," Luxord calls.

With a huff the redhead flicks through the book and pushes it towards me, apparently not intending on doing any work himself. I tackle the first question, everything going well until I've finished writing the theorem and have no idea what to do from there.

Luxord is busy helping another kid so I'm left to figure it out on my own. Or give up. Yeah, let's give up, it's not like I'm ever going to need this crap when I'm actually, you know, living my life as a normal human being.

"Stuck?" the red head asks, making me jump.

"Yup," I confirm, looking straight ahead.

"You have to substitute the numbers into the theorem."

I turn to glare at him.

"If you know, why aren't you doing any of this?" Damn my mood swings Maths causes.

He just smirks.

"I know it so I don't need to do it."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I suck at all the other areas of Maths. Why are you here?"

"Why do you think?"

"Okay, that's not what I meant. What is a Year 11 doing in a Year 12 class?"

Yep, I knew these Year 12's wouldn't like me in their class.

"I had to come. Apparently the school would phone home if I didn't show up."

"What, you afraid your Mummy will punish you? Grow a pair," a new voice jeers, easily recognisable as Seifer's drawl. I realise Luxord has left the room, probably to get something.

Seifer lazily walks over to me, leering and sizing me up. "Hey, you're that chubby kid's friend. Pencil dick."

It takes me second to work out he's talking about Pence.

"And since I haven't seen that little wimp in a while, I think I should send him a little greeting. I'm thinking a couple of bruises might do the trick." The implication is clear. He wants to beat me up.

My bad mood evaporates to be replaced with fear. I know what Seifer can do – will do – and I doubt any of these Year 12's are going to stick their neck out for a Year 11.

"Lay off, Seifer."

I turn in shock to see the redhead standing up, defending me. Seifer is a tad shorter than him but more muscled and he's not hiding it with his sleeveless top and jacket. He scrutinises him, seemingly debating what his odds are against him.

Seifer sneers. "Aw, has Axel found a soft spot for the little wimp? Or are you just trying to get some, like usual?"

Axel, the redhead, growls and leans forward on the desk, green eyes narrowing and fingers curling.

Seifer, seeing he's struck a nerve, continues.

"Everyone knows how much you-"

"Shut the hell up!" Axel screams and looks ready to throw a punch. Before he can, the door swings open and Luxord re-enters, merrily sipping a cup of tea. Like a shot Seifer is back in his seat next to a blue haired girl and Axel is back in his, hands quivering with anger.

"Everyone okay?" Luxord asks, seeing everyone has stopped working. Silent meets him but everyone – well, almost everyone – gets back to work.

"Um, thank you," I say quietly to Axel. I remember distantly Pence saying he knew this Axel Russo through his cousin. Maybe because he knew I was a friend of his friend's cousin he defended me?

He just nods, teeth gritting, still trying to calm down.

Neither of us do any more work.

(Line break)

"Cloud, leave me alone," I groan at my older brother.

"Not until you tell me why you were in that Maths revision class. Are you failing maths?" he asks sternly. I'm lying face down on my bed, praying that he will go away before he gets violent. Whenever he's frustrated he tends to resort to his fists. He's like some sort of interrogator; I don't tell him anything and he starts hitting me.

It's not abuse, it's just….Cloud.

He rolls me over so I am face up, me struggling all the while, and looks me in the eye.

"Are you failing maths?" he asks. I can't believe he happened to walk past that Maths class and just happened to see me. Damn those glass windows on all the doors.

"Yes, okay?" I finally relent, hoping now he will go away. I try to roll back over but he pins me down. Stupid older brother with his stupid height and huge muscles.

"How badly? And have you asked Mr Demyx a question in class yet?"

This is a common topic; whether I've summoned the nerve to actually ask a question during class. I wish my family would just drop it already.

"No…" I mumble so quietly Cloud shakes me and I near shout 'no!' in his face. I try to push him off me, sick of him always hovering around, never giving me privacy.

"Why not? And I asked how badly you were failing!"

"Because! I don't know!" I do know but I don't want to talk about it. Ever. I thrash under his weight, wondering how he stays so skinny yet has so much muscle. He got Mum's genes for slenderness _and_ Dad's genes for strength. I just got the slenderness genes. Unfair chromosomes deciding my body shape for me!

It looks like Cloud might start getting more violent but we both halt when the front door opens and slams closed. We go still, nervously looking at one another, all previous matters forgotten. We both hear something fall on the floor downstairs and the scream from our Mum:

"Fucking hell!"

I wince, knowing this is about to be a super bad day. Cloud gets off me and disappears back into his room. I stay on my bed, listening to the crashing going on in the kitchen, the screaming and shouts from Mum and her long-term boyfriend, Auron. They're not married but they've been together for about ten years and live together.

I like Auron well enough but I don't really have any attachment to him. We have a decent enough relationship; he lets me use his eBay account and I let him borrow my CD's.

My Mum, Larxene, is screaming about her job, how much she hates it. She's come home from work every day like this for four years since she got her new job.

"Well, have you got anything to say?" I hear her scream at Auron.

"Maybe if I could get a word in…" You know Auron is pissed when he starts talking back to Mum. Normally he just tip-toes around her but when he's really angry he talks back.

I hear a huge crash that sounds like all the pots hitting the tiled floor in the kitchen.

"I don't think you understand just how hard I work every day-"

"I do understand because you always moan about it when you come home!"

"I'm so bloody tired and fucking sick of having to be like this!"

I try to drown out the rest, willing the prick of tears to go away. It will be dinnertime soon and I can't show up in tears. Mum would yell at me for crying when 'all I do all day is go to school, I have no right to cry'.

My cat, Cait Sith, jumps on my bed and meows in my ear, asking to be stroked. I run my hand down his back, thinking about how he has a tendency to show up whenever I am crying or on the verge of it. Sometimes I think he's the one that understands me best in the family.

He sits on my lap for a few minutes but I scoot him off when Auron calls us down for dinner.

I decide not to tell Mum anything about how badly I'm doing in Maths tonight. I'll wait until morning when she'll hopefully be calmer. Everyone at the dinner table is glum. Mum mentions that there will be new neighbours arriving tomorrow.

It's actually the house across from us where a nice German couple used to live. I was sad to see them go; they were the only people I actually liked in the neighbourhood.

I look across the table to see Cloud giving our Mum a sour look. I know he hates her. He's told me enough times.

Mum starts having trouble with the salad cream and yells with frustration when nothing comes out of the almost empty bottle. She slams it down on the table and Cloud pipes up.

"What the hell is your problem? Just use a knife to scoop it out." Auron is already doing that, trying to put the sauce on Mum's plate. She turns to give Cloud a dirty look.

"Don't you start, Cloud. I've had a hard day and I don't need you-"

"I know you've had a hard day because you've been shouting about it since you got home!"

"You think it's easy having to-"

I start shovelling food in mouth, not caring that doing this usually makes me sick. I just want to be out of the room when people start arguing. I think I actually prefer sitting in Maths revision over this.

**{1} Just short for Pythagoras' theorem. Everyone in my class just calls it Pythag. for short.**

**Page 394, who knows what reference that is from? You get a gold star if you know!**

**Yeah, the second half was kind of depressing. It's just like the crap some kids have to deal with outside of school. Next chapter will be more Axel and more about Roxas' Dad and his family.**

**Revieeeeeeeewwwwwww! Please XD**


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